Josh Pauls found a passion for sled hockey at an early age, playing on the New York Rangers Junior Sled Hockey club team from 2002-08. He graduated to the New York Rangers club team in 2008, the same year that he made his first U.S. National Sled Hockey Team. Pauls stayed with the Rangers for three seasons before joining the Disabled Athlete Sports Association St. Louis Blues in 2011. He helped the Blues to back-to-back USA Hockey Adult Sled Hockey National Championship titles in 2012 and 2013.

Pauls, who was born without tibia bones and had both legs amputated at 10 months old, has had an impressive career with Team USA so far. At 17, he was the youngest member of the gold medal-winning squad at the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games. In the 2012-13 season, Pauls led the U.S. team with 20 points and nine goals, and his 11 assists were tied for first on the squad.

Pauls has earned the nickname “Spuds” due to his unique ritual of facing a Mr. Potato Head figure toward the opponent’s locker room before every game. He is currently pursuing a degree in sport management at Lindenwood University with a planned graduation in 2015, and he hopes to become a hockey coach.